Fashion error: Misadventures in camouflage
July 13, 2012 by admin
Filed under Latest Lingerie News
The following editorial appeared Wednesday in The Chicago Tribune:
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Ever notice how many people you see wearing camouflage apparel in public? Well, maybe not. Wearing camouflage, they’re invisible, right?
Not always, because no one has designed a pattern that blends into the background at a mall food court or a Little League baseball game. So those woodland and desert patterns tend to make the wearer more conspicuous, not less.
Unless you’re hunting deer or ducks, that’s often the point. Camouflage has found its way into all sorts of products where its practical utility is, well, hard to see. You can buy camouflage toilet seats, beer koozies, shower curtains and wallets.
You can even buy Mossy Oak underwear, which theoretically would help conceal something that is not supposed to be visible in the first place. The trend extends as far as racy lingerie. The camouflage strapless corset and thong at Lingerie Diva is probably a big Valentine’s Day item in some places.
Camo used to be strictly a functional feature, but at some point it became a fashion statement — advertising that the wearer is rugged, outdoorsy or rural, if not all three. Plenty of hunters still don it to achieve stealth in a blind, but most of them don’t feel out of place wearing it in town after the season is over. Urban hipsters have been known to sport it in a spirit of subversive irony.
But there are people who wear it every day for the most practical of all reasons: to keep from getting killed. No one has a bigger appetite for clothing that makes one hard to detect than the U.S. military.
But that doesn’t mean soldiers are necessarily good at the design decisions. Reports a story in the online magazine Slate, “There’s a lot of brown in Afghanistan, says one aggrieved soldier, but the U.S. Army’s camo print contains not a speck.” This, nearly 11 years after American fighting men and women arrived en masse.
The pattern that made its appearance in 2004, a gray and green pixelated one known as the Universal Camouflage Pattern, turns out to be OK unless you want to escape the notice of armed hostiles. As the online newspaper The Daily reports, “The government spent $5 billion on a camouflage design that actually made its soldiers more visible.” Now it’s in the process of replacing this unfortunate wardrobe.
How could the Army make such a major mistake? It seems the Marine Corps came out with a spiffy new line of brown camouflage, which made Army officers envious. So they copied it, but in their preferred gray tones — which didn’t work well in the field.
Said Eric Graves of the publication Soldier Systems Daily, “That’s what this really comes down to: ‘We can’t allow the Marine Corps to look more cool than the Army.’”
We’ve all made that sort of fashion mistake — buying a garment that makes us look ill-attired because someone else looks good in it. When it doesn’t work out, it’s no fun at all. In fact, it’s enough to make you wish you could hide.
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The Lingerie Alliance Officially Launches
July 13, 2012 by admin
Filed under Latest Lingerie News
The Lingerie Alliance is an online, collaborative community of professionals in the Intimate Apparel industry and related fields.
New York, NY (PRWEB) July 12, 2012
Founded by intimate apparel professionals Moira Nelson and Luis Paredes, The Lingerie Alliance is an interactive, online collaborative community of professionals in the intimate apparel industry and related fields. The Lingerie Alliance will be an exclusive, members-only platform utilizing the latest technology to create a collaborative community experience.
The site will feature a searchable directory of members (by area of expertise,) as well as interactive live forums and chat sessions with industry experts as well as offline workshops, panel discussions and seminars.
In addition, The Lingerie Alliance will host networking socials and other special events throughout the year (Intimate Affairs.) “The goal is to have all functionality fully live by Spring 2013,” says co-founder Luis Paredes. All of the site’s features will be rolled out throughout the coming months. In the meantime, Moira Nelson and Luis Paredes are hosting an “Intimate Affair” Launch Party and SS13 Lingerie Fashion Show to celebrate their partnership and the site’s launch on Saturday, August 4, 2012 at Griffin lounge and nightclub in the exclusive meatpacking district in Manhattan.
The Event is sponsored by leading lingerie lines Affinitas Parfait and takes place on the eve of the bi-annual Lingerie Market Week in NYC, which draws designers, brands, retailers, buyers, media and press from around the World.
The Fashion Show will feature SS13 collections from Affinitas Parfait as well as the imaginative designs of independent brands Angela Friedman, Clare Bare Eco Intimates, Dirty Dolls Lingerie, Nevaeh Intimates and With Love Lingerie. Celebrity stylist and author of The Bra Book, Jené Luciani, has signed on to emcee the “Intimate Affair.”
Keng Zhang, President of Affinitas commented on the partnership saying, “We are honored to support The Lingerie Alliance at their launch event and as an Alliance Leader. TLA’s goals of inspiring, innovating and empowering the lingerie industry are right in league with our own as a lingerie brand, and we couldn’t have found a better fit.”
The Griffin is the perfect venue for this event which is intended to promote a festive spirit. Designed by Marc Dizon of the boutique collective Lewis Dizon, the Griffin is an intimate jewel box filled with fringe-lined velvet banquets, gilded tables, rose-antique mirrors, and reclaimed herringbone floors. Filigree detailing accentuates the space, and a glittering centerpiece of crystal chandeliers hanging overhead sets the cinematic mood for the room. The lingerie featured at this event will really radiate against this opulent backdrop.
Additional sponsors of the “Intimate Affair” include Jené Luciani and her well-known publication, The Bra Book, the luxury beauty and lingerie brand Naked Princess, leading lingerie publication The Lingerie Journal and the Lingerie Journal Designer Showcase, fine lingerie stylist, sensuality stylist and personal shopper, The Lingerie Goddess, boutique PR firm specializing in intimate apparel, RICHPR, the intimate apparel resource site and consulting company, Bra La Mode, and The Full Figured Chest, a marketing firm catering to lingerie pros.
Moira Nelson, co-founder of The Lingerie Alliance stated, “Collaboration is the essence of The Lingerie Alliance. Our mission is to unite lingerie professionals from all aspects of the industry to elevate the industry as a whole. We envision a diverse network of members including Retailers, Buyers, Brands, Retail Store Owners, Independent Lingerie Designers, Wholesale Manufacturers, Press/Media, Suppliers and so on. If you do business in the intimate apparel industry, you are welcome to join the Alliance!”
Buyers and Media/Press are welcome to attend the “Intimate Affair” or they can register to view the designer collections during Market Week. Affinitas Parfait will be exhibiting at CurvExpo from August 5th through the 7th while the five emerging, independent labels will be showing their lines at the Lingerie Journal Designer Showcase from August 5th through August 8th at the AKA Hotel, Times Square, NYC. The Showcase gives buyers the opportunity to meet one-on-one with designers in a relaxed setting. Buyers looking for innovative, new collections can pre-register for the Designer Showcase at: http://lingeriedesignershowcase.com/attendee-registration/
Collaborate – Educate – Inspire – Empower – Innovate – Achieve
About The Lingerie Alliance
Founded by Moira Nelson and Luis Paredes, The Lingerie Alliance is an interactive, online collaborative community of professionals in the intimate apparel industry and related fields. The mission of The Lingerie Alliance is to unite lingerie professionals from all aspects of the industry to elevate the industry as a whole- Retailers, Buyers, Brands, Retail Store Owners, Ecom Retailers, Independent Lingerie Designers, Wholesale Manufacturers, Influential Lingerie Bloggers, Press/Media, Publicists, Marketing Professionals, Suppliers, and Service Providers.
About Affinitas Parfait
Sexy or sweet? Take your pick with Affinitas’ wide selection of stylish yet affordable bras, panties, 3-pack Packaged Panties, camisoles, babydolls, chemises, and bustiers, ranging from basic, everyday styles to on-trend and special occasion pieces. Bras and bustiers span a size range of 30-38 A-DD, with all other items sized XS-XL. Complementary line Parfait additionally caters to the full-bust market with bras sized 30D – 40G (and bottoms sized XS-2X). Meaning no matter your size, Affinitas has the right lingerie for you. Whether you’re feeling flirty, glamourous and feminine, or want to channel your inner vixen, Affinitas has a look to match your mood. Made of fine, soft materials sourced from all over the world, Affinitas ensures you can wear any piece from the line – be it all day…or just for a few minutes! The Affinitas woman is fashion-forward and discerning, wishing for stylish, comfortable, quality lingerie – at prices that won’t break the bank. Constantly expanding to meet your needs, wants, and desires, Affinitas’ mission is to have you covered (well, mostly) for every occasion.
About Moira Nelson and Luis Paredes:
Moira Nelson, lingerie industry professional and founder of the intimate apparel resource site Bra La Mode, and Luis Paredes, publisher of The Lingerie Journal and founder of the Lingerie Designer Showcase, share a passion for uniting independent lingerie designers, brands and businesses with larger scale intimate apparel companies, organizations and professionals. Their mission is to connect lingerie professionals from all aspects of the industry to collaborate, educate, inspire, empower, innovate and achieve. Ultimately, their goal is to elevate the intimate apparel industry as a whole through collaboration.
http://www.TheLingerieAlliance.com
http://www.affinitasintimates.com
#IntimateAffair
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebthelingeriealliance/launches/prweb9694790.htm